How can I improve my wide grip pull ups??

Nappy

Hey started doing wide grip pull ups lately for my back workouts and im embarassingly weaker than everyone else, I can barely complete 4 on each set and then I almost feel burnt out for the other exercises. Is there any other exercises that will help me build the muscles needed for this exercise??

Cheers

Nappy

shootermacg

Yep these are killers! No advice here I still find ten a total killer. My second set may drop to 5 or 4 after. I've been trying to get these up myself, but once the 1st set is over that's pretty much it for me.

I usually do the first set then go back to chins for reps. Sorry but I don't really have an answer for you mate, but you have my sympathy if it helps ^ ^.

another world

This exercise has been working for me.

Start stopwatch and do 5 reps, when it gets to a minute do 5 more, when it gets to 2 mins 5 more etc. until you get to a good amount, then you´ll be able to get a bigger amount at the one time and have increased that specific strength. It may involve just getting one or two extra per session but you will be increasing it gradually.

Fizman

Have you tried doing negatives? As in starting in the high most position and lower yourself down very slowly. I tried these while beginning pull ups for the very first time and found them to be of great benefit. The lateral pull down machine may also come in handy.

shootermacg

Fizman wrote: »

Have you tried doing negatives? As in starting in the high most position and lower yourself down very slowly. I tried these while beginning pull ups for the very first time and found them to be of great benefit. The lateral pull down machine may also come in handy.

I think you'll find wide grip chins to be a different animal entirely. I can push out 18 chins shoulder width, then 12, then 10 etc, but wide grip seems to place a lot more stress along the shoulders and arms. It really seems to exhaust your energy levels fast.

shootermacg

another world wrote: »

This exercise has been working for me.

Start stopwatch and do 5 reps, when it gets to a minute do 5 more, when it gets to 2 mins 5 more etc. until you get to a good amount, then you´ll be able to get a bigger amount at the one time and have increased that specific strength. It may involve just getting one or two extra per session but you will be increasing it gradually.

Cheers mate I have heard this somewhere else in the forums, so I'll try this for a bit. I guess the reps don't matter as much as long as the total count can be made to be around 25/30 for me, maybe I do need to rest more between sets.

another world

shootermacg wrote: »

Cheers mate I have heard this somewhere else in the forums, so I'll try this for a bit. I guess the reps don't matter as much as long as the total count can be made to be around 25/30 for me, maybe I do need to rest more between sets.

I got this from a climbing website where it´s obviously a key exercise. I forgot another thing he mentioned that it´s best to do it with someone else so they can help you finish off the set even if they have to assist you a bit. This was important apparently, makes sense if not used to wuss out :cool:

rubadub

Nappy wrote: »

Hey started doing wide grip pull ups lately for my back workouts and im embarassingly weaker than everyone else,

Who is everybody else? are you doing them alongside people or do you just have this idea in your head. How many regular ones can you do and how many wide ones?
If you see people banging out these are they even bothering to do normal ones, if not they have probably a much higher ability of normal ones. e.g. many people will not bother doing exercises of more than 12 reps. I did 10 wide neutral grip pullups yesterday, I could usually do 18 or so normal neutral grip pullups, I don't consider this unusual.

shootermacg wrote: »

I think you'll find wide grip chins to be a different animal entirely.

That guy was recommending negatives, which I would also highly recommend, I agree they are quite different but negatives should still be just as useful.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Opr72q6NKTc

I would also try wide grip rows.

shootermacg

another world wrote: »

I got this from a climbing website where it´s obviously a key exercise. I forgot another thing he mentioned that it´s best to do it with someone else so they can help you finish off the set even if they have to assist you a bit. This was important apparently, makes sense if not used to wuss out :cool:

Hehe I tried resting my legs on a bar at home for this but I found I was cheating like crazy ^ ^.
A spotter would definately help squeeze out a few reps but I tend to ignore everyone in the gym because I'm on the clock.

shootermacg

I've been thinking about this and IMO:
With wide grip chins it's time under tension is the killer.
Even hanging you're still under tension because you aren't quite hanging as such. With normal chins hanging is resting (except for your grip).
This idea may be total bull**** but:
I'm gonna try doing them at pace tuesday evening to see if I can go over 10.
my thinking is that if I reduce the time under tension I may be able to up the reps a bit.
Anyway I'll let you know how I get on.

ray jay

shootermacg wrote: »

I've been thinking about this and IMO:
With wide grip chins it's time under tension is the killer.
Even hanging you're still under tension because you aren't quite hanging as such. With normal chins hanging is resting (except for your grip).
This idea may be total bull**** but:
I'm gonna try doing them at pace tuesday evening to see if I can go over 10.
my thinking is that if I reduce the time under tension I may be able to up the reps a bit.
Anyway I'll let you know how I get on.

I had much the same thought about time under tension and tried going faster to squeeze out more reps. Unfortunately the temptation to use poor form kicks in, like not going all the way down. I switched to adding weight as a way of making the exercise tougher while preserving form. Still, I try to be as explosive as possible on the concentric phase so as to minimise the time for each rep

shootermacg

ray jay wrote: »

I had much the same thought about time under tension and tried going faster to squeeze out more reps. Unfortunately the temptation to use poor form kicks in, like not going all the way down. I switched to adding weight as a way of making the exercise tougher while preserving form. Still, I try to be as explosive as possible on the concentric phase so as to minimise the time for each rep

Yep, I always try to keep good form, I don't mind trying this once just for the feel of it. I do weighted chins usually but until I get say 3/4 sets of 10/8 I won't be trying to add weight because i'm already uncomfortable as it is.

It is crazy that I go from 10 reps to 5/6 in 2 sets, that's a huge difference for me, I'd usually drop down to 7/8 on other tough compounds. I was talking to a guy on a previous post and he advised doing a lot of sets at 0.5 your max reps for a few weeks, then trying you max again. I'll speed it up (with good form) and see if I can beat 10. The hang time is something that I can eat into I think and make up in the rests between sets.

itsallaboutheL

Assisted Pull Ups
Negative Reps
Band Pull Ups
Lat Pull Downs

You could try Grease The Groove

How's your grip strength??

shootermacg

itsallaboutheL wrote: »

How's your grip strength??

My grip is good.

itsallaboutheL

shootermacg wrote: »

My grip is good.

Are you the OP?

shootermacg

itsallaboutheL wrote: »

Are you the OP?

Ouch..<hangs head-thread hijack failed>

Transform

itsallaboutheL wrote: »

Assisted Pull Ups
Negative Reps
Band Pull Ups
Lat Pull Downs

You could try Grease The Groove

How's your grip strength??

agreed and just do them most days will help also.

learning to kip helped me massively.

oh and weighted chins - get up to an added 20kg and i think they will be easier

shootermacg

Right, tried them at a quicker pace (no cheating or stupid body swerves, full extension) managed 14 on the 1st set, 8 on the 2nd, 5 on the 3rd, 4 for 2 more sets.

I did have a rest period from the gym from thursday, so I noticed some good gains in my program over all, so I guess the evidence is inconclusive.

I'm still thinking, that many sets at half your max for a week is a good theory.

mrkf1984

Transform wrote: »

oh and weighted chins - get up to an added 20kg and i think they will be easier

spot on, weighted chins. first set bodyweight, second and third with weight(even if only 2-3 reps)
fourth set will feel really easy and possibly get one more working set if needed

Sangre

My question is in relation to chins but I thought this thread would be useful as it should apply to both.

I had been trying to work up 3x8 on chins. I've found the last weeks to be quite slow progress wise, I think was finished on 8,6,6. I've moved on 5x5 which is a lot more doable. I'm going to start doing weighted chins with 5x5. Anyone see any reason why I shouldn't? I'm hoping this will improve my total chin numbers, and eventually my pull-up numbers.

slicus ricus

Transform wrote: »

learning to kip helped me massively.

Feel free to correct me if i'm wrong here, but does kipping not make the exercise easier and thus less beneficial to your lats?